


Of Twins and Tantrums

by KaytiKazoo



Series: How It Could Have Been [7]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Family, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:40:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27535414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaytiKazoo/pseuds/KaytiKazoo
Summary: After the birth of their second child, Daisy is done getting pregnant, but they’re not done growing their family. Instead, Deke, Daisy, and Daniel welcome to their family two twin eleven-year-old girls, and all the chaos that adoption entails.
Relationships: Deke Shaw/Skye | Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa
Series: How It Could Have Been [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1903096
Comments: 13
Kudos: 13





	Of Twins and Tantrums

When Daisy was in labor with Delilah, she’d cursed them both and sworn that this baby was the last one they were getting out of her. Delilah had been perfect, small and pink, but Deke saw how much Daisy ached afterwards, how tired she was. She’d still cradled Delilah to her chest and sighed.

“Worth it,” she’d whispered, kissing her wrinkled little forehead. “No more, though. You got a boy and a girl. That’s it.”

Daniel had laughed and stroked Delilah’s cheek.

“Okay,” he had said. “That’s okay. She’s perfect, Daise. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks,” she had murmured. 

That didn’t mean , however, that their family was done growing.  Lying in bed one night after getting Delilah  to sleep, Daisy  sighed into Deke’s neck.

“What?”

“I don’t want to be pregnant  ever again,” she said.

“That’s okay,” Daniel said. “We’re already blessed with two beautiful children.”

“No, but I want a huge family. I think we deserve it , to be surrounded with kids who we love and can give a safe place to, even if they don’t know how to appreciate it. I want to be a safe haven for kids like me, who just wanted a place to belong, instead of, of what happened to me. ”

Deke looked at his husband and his wife, silhouettes in the moonlight coming through one of the windows nearby. 

“You want to adopt?” Deke asked, only for clarification.

“Yeah,” she said. “I think we could be really good for kids in need. We have more than enough room still,  and  I want to give back. I want, I want, I want to prevent  what happened to me from happening to anyone else if I can.”

“I think that sounds wonderful,” Deke said. There hadn’t been foster care in the Lighthouse but he knew what it was like to be orphaned young. If there had been someone to love him after his parents were gone… “Yeah, that sounds  exactly what we should do.”

They gave themselves some time to settle in with Delilah  before discussing it again.  They didn’t fill out the paperwork until Delilah was in pre-school.

“ If you can have your own,” the social worker, a nice lady named Nancy,  asked cautiously at their appointment, “why are you considering fostering and adoption? If you don’t mind me asking. We’re delighted to have such a wonderful family interested.”

“ Well,” Deke said slowly, “Daisy grew up in foster homes and orphanages, and I was orphaned and left with a family friend who didn’t exactly want kids, so we have some experience with  the system. We wanted to, to give a home and a family to kids like us.”

Nancy grinned at him.

“Well, I’m so glad to hear that.”

That’s the story, Deke thought, the lie he’d told the world when he was interviewed. That was the acceptable story, watered down and  smudged until  it didn’t look like his past anymore. He couldn’t tell anyone about the stars he grew up in, the cold metal walls, the  fear, the desperation and  the  resignation. He couldn’t tell Nancy about how he’d grown up in an apocalyptic hell that  fiction writers only could dream about. He couldn’t tell her that he’d watched his mother die in front of him, murdered by the alien race who had enslaved the human race. No, he couldn’t tell her that. If he did, they’d never get approved . 

It felt a little like a betrayal to himself. He wasn’t that person anymore, who’d done terrible things to survive.  Daisy had forgiven him for selling her to Kasius, but he wasn’t sure he would ever  forgive himself fully. He wasn’t that person, but  he had grown from that person. That version of himself was still a part of Deke.  His mom and dad, they were a part of him. All of the terrible things that he’d endured, all of the pain and loss, it had made him the person he was now. He tried to be kind, and good because of the life he’d had, to grow past his instincts to save himself first.

The kids deserved that, their dad to be good, and patient, and understanding. He hoped he could continue that for any kid they brought into their home. He didn’t need biology for family, so this was no different than Daisy bringing their child into the world. 

It was a bright winter day when they got the notification that there was a set of twin girls who needed a foster home, and potentially a forever home if they were a good fit. 

“Twins,” Daniel said on a breath out after Daisy hung up, promising to call back soon after they talked it over. “Are we ready for twins?”

“Can’t be any worse than when we brought Delilah home and Luke threw that incredible three-week tantrum,” Daisy said.

“That’s true,” Deke replied. “Besides, two little girls don’t scare  _ the _ Daniel Sousa, do they?”

Daniel caught him around the waist and dragged him into his lap. He left playful kisses along Deke’s jaw and neck, nipping the smallest bit to make him squirm against him.

“ _ Daniel _ ,” Deke scolded, but still leaned into the kisses.

“Okay, lovebirds,” Daisy laughed. “Should we take the girls, then?”

Daniel nuzzled into Deke’s jaw, placing a kiss at his pulse. 

“Yeah,” Deke said, carding his fingers through Daniel’s hair, considering just how lucky he was, not for the first time. They were born over a century apart but by some strange twist in fate, Deke got to have Daniel Sousa as his husband. “Let’s bring them home.”

The girls were eleven; they’d been raised by an elderly aunt since they were six while their mother was in and out of rehabs and prison, their father having run off before they were walking. Their names were Jessa and Annabelle, and they were  malnourished , and clearly hadn’t been paid attention to enough. 

Deke, Daniel, and Daisy met the girls outside the house the following day, Delilah clinging to Deke like a little monkey – Bobo would be proud. They were quiet, carrying overstuffed backpacks and wheeling a single ratty suitcase behind them, one for the both of them. Step one, Deke decided, was making sure they each had their own belongings. They were individuals, not some joint prize.

“Hello,” Nancy greeted. “Oh, almost the entire family! Where is Lucas?”

“Spending the afternoon at his friend’s. They’re building a Lego Empire State Buidling,” Daisy said. 

“How precious,” Nancy said. “Well, Jess, Anna, this is the family who will be taking care of you, the Johnsons.”

Daisy stepped forward with a soft, welcoming smile. Deke loved that smile so much.

“Hey guys. My name is Daisy. Do you want to come inside? See your room?”

They looked at each other and then nodded in sync.

“Daddy?” Delilah asked quietly.

“Yeah, songbird?”

“Are they gonna like me?”

“Oh, songbird, who wouldn’t like you?” he said, smoothing back her wild hair and kissing her forehead. She leaned into him with a shaky sigh. 

Daisy led the girls into the house while Daniel lingered with Deke, leaning in to kiss Deke and then Delilah.

“Good start,” Daniel said.

“Yeah. Let’s head in.”

Nancy followed the girls, and then Deke followed her with Daniel beside him. Inside, Daisy took the girls up the stairs and into their room right across their bedroom, tucked next to Delilah’s and the bathroom. 

“Whoa,” he heard of them say as they stepped in. They’d bought two twin beds, matching sets of furniture including a dresser, a desk, a bookshelf, and a bedside table. They’d opted for neutral colors, a soft grey on one bed and a light tan on the other, at least until they took the girls shopping for decorations and other necessities. “Is this for us?”

“We didn’t know what you liked,” Daisy explained as one took to  a bed, testing it gently, while the other set her bag on the desk. “We can help you personalize it to your style, but yeah. It’s for you.”

Deke could see in Daisy’s eyes that familiarity, remembering her own time in the system, moving from home to home without having a place she could reliably call her own. He set his hand on her shoulder, and Delilah copied it, her hand next to Deke’s.

“What do you think?” Nancy asked. “Huh, Jess?”

She nudged one of the twins nearby.

“I’m actually Anna,” she said. 

“Oh, sorry, dear.”

“It’s fine,” Anna said. Delilah wiggled in Deke’s arms until he let her down. She ducked under everyone and went up to Anna. She tugged at Anna’s sleeve until Anna looked down at her. “What?”

“Do you like the bed? I picked out the colors.”

“Oh,” Anna said, turning to look at the bedspread. “Yeah.”

Delilah grinned at her.

“Luke said it was boring, but I said that it was polite,” Delilah continued. 

“Polite,” Anna echoed.

“Yeah, Daddy said you can pick out whatever you want this weekend, so this will do until we can find you what you like!”

“Oh, that’s very nice of you. And which one is Daddy?”

Delilah turned and pointed towards Deke.

“That’s my daddy,” she said proudly. “He’s a CBD.”

“CEO, Del,” Deke replied. 

“CEO,” she repeated. “His name is Deke.”

“Deke,” Anna said. 

“And that’s my papa.” She pointed to Daniel next. “His name is Daniel. He’s a consulter.”

“Consultant,” Daniel said.

“Consultant.”

“And that’s my mommy.” She pointed to Daisy. “Her name is Daisy. She’s, uhhh.”

She looked at Daisy with big eyes.

“A computer security analyst,” Daisy said slowly.

“A computer security analyst,” Delilah repeated. She grinned at Daisy and turned back to Anna. “You’ll like it here.”

Anna traded a look with her sister, but didn’t say anything else.

“I should go,” Nancy said after a moment of silence. “Let you two get settled in.”

Delilah ran back to Deke and tugged at his pant leg. He leaned down and she cupped her mouth around his ear. 

“Did I do good?”

“Yeah, baby. You did. You were very sweet.”

“I am! I’m a sweet baby bird!” she sang. “Can I help with dinner?”

“Yeah, let’s go make dinner.” 

He picked her up and set her on his hip to take her downstairs again. Daniel, the most well-mannered of them all, walked Nancy out.

“We’ll be downstairs making dinner,” Daisy said to the girls. “Take your time unpacking. We’ll go out this weekend and pick you up whatever you need. We just want you to feel comfortable and at home here.”

* * *

The twins didn’t say much. They didn’t respond to Daniel’s gentle questions, or Delilah’s excitable stories. Delilah had been thrilled when they’d told her they were bringing home two older girls. She wanted older sisters, because she said Luke was boring and didn’t want to play with her doing stuff she wanted. 

They ate their food, and immediately retreated to their room.

“It’s okay,” Daisy said, patting Daniel’s shoulder who looked at their wistfully as they went. “They need some time. They’ll warm up.”

“They seem mean,” Luke said. 

“They’re just in a new place, Luke,” Daisy said. “I was a lot like them when I was growing up. They haven’t had a Mom, Dad, and Pop the way you and Delilah have. They just, they need some time.”

“You were like them?” Luke asked, looking up towards the stairs. “Really?”

“Yeah. I didn’t grow up with a Mom or Dad either, remember? I was put in group homes, and orphanages, places that weren’t warm and welcoming like our home. New places are scary because you don’t know what’s going to be on the other side. Not everyone is nice, you know?”

Luke nodded, then he looked at Deke to ask, “were you like them, too?”

“Uhhh, no,” Deke said. He wasn’t sure how to explain what he’d been through. “No, where I grew up, I tried really hard to be useful and helpful, make people like me. They wouldn’t send me away if I was good. So, I tried to be better than anybody’s negative opinion of me. Does that make sense?”

Luke nodded solemnly, and then got up off his chair, circling the table to hug Deke. 

“Oh,” he said. “Thank you, bud. I appreciate that.”

“I love you, Dad,” Luke said quietly. Deke pressed a kiss into Luke’s hair and hugged him back. 

“Go hug Mom, too,” he said, and Luke detached to circle around to latch onto Daisy next. 

“Thanks, munch,” she said. “So, you have to be nice to the girls, okay? It might be hard, but they just need some time.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“I’ll be nice!” Delilah said chipperly. 

“I know you will, bird,” Daisy said, smiling at Delilah. “You’re a good girl.”

“I am,” she agreed. “I want to be a good sister.”

“You will be, Del,” Deke said. “You already are.”

* * *

Deke was sent to wake the girls up the next morning, as they’d hidden in their room all night after dinner and hadn’t emerged yet. He didn’t blame them, personally, but they did need to eat something, and shower if they hadn’t, and they were going to the store soon. He tapped on their door first, and didn’t receive a reply, so he carefully cracked open the door. 

“Jess? Anna?” he said gently. “Are you guys awake?”

Still no response. 

He poked his head in and found both girls curled up in a single bed, asleep and tucked under the same blanket. The sight was so sweet, he felt bad about having to wake them. He stepped in, though, and turned on the light with a grimace. One of the twins, Anna, probably, groaned loudly and hid her face underneath the blanket. Jessa remained still, breathing softly. 

“Girls, it’s breakfast,” he tried again, slightly louder. Anna peeked out from underneath the blanket with a single angry eyebrow directed at Deke.

“Go away,” she grunted.

“Can’t. It’s my duty to make sure you are properly fed and cared for. That includes breakfast.”

Anna poked at her sister, who swatted back at her sleepily.

“It’s pancakes and bacon, though,” Deke said, which seemed to get Jess’s attention. 

“Pancakes,” she said.

“Pancakes, any type you want, any type of toppings, fresh and hot. If you get out of bed.”

Anna looked at Deke with narrowed eyes, and finally said, “fine. We’re getting up.”

“See you downstairs, then.”

He went downstairs, and was met with a bouncing Delilah.

“Are they coming down?”

“They will be. Back to breakfast, baby bird.”

“I finished.”

“I don’t believe that one bit,” he said, ushering her back to the table for breakfast. The girls trudged down together a few minutes later while Deke was poking a piece of bacon at Delilah, trying to get her to finish her breakfast. Daniel, at the stove, smiled warmly at them.

“Welcome to the pancake bar. What type of pancakes would you like?” he asked, gesturing to the hot griddle pan, the bowl of batter, and the prep bowls full of mix-ins. Daisy was strictly blueberries, Luke chocolate chips, Delilah half and half, while Daniel preferred a good plain pancake. Daniel always zested a lemon for Deke’s, even when Deke didn’t expressly request lemon pancakes. 

“Oh, just plain,” Anna said, sticking close to Jess’s side, “if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Daniel answered. “And for you, Jess? What kind of pancakes can I interest you in?”

“Plain.”

“And how many would you like?”

“Just two,” Anna said, glancing at Jess who nodded her agreement. 

“Four plain pancakes coming right up.”

Anna sat cautiously at the table next to Deke, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye furtively. He let her look without calling her out on it, because how was she supposed to get used to being there if she had to hide her curiosities. 

“So, Deke and I will be taking you to the store to get whatever you need,” Daisy said. “Daniel, and the kids, are going to be staying at home.”

Delilah whined high in the back of her throat to protest.

“Delilah, don’t start,” Deke said gently. 

“I want to go, Daddy.”

“Next time, okay? It’ll just be easier if we take just the girls to the store. You and Luke and Papa will have a great day at home.”

“I don’t  _ want _ to be at home,” she said. 

“Delilah,” Daisy said more firmly, and Delilah let out a whining huff. “No.”

“Fine,” Delilah said, crossing her arms across her chest. She would probably be a menace when she was a teenager in all honesty. “I’m not happy.”

“Noted,” Daisy replied. “You’re going to be good for Papa, right?”

“Yes,” Delilah answered, frowning. 

“If you are good,” Deke said, “maybe Mom and I will bring you home something.”

Daisy sighed and rolled her eyes at him.

“Bribery, Deke?”

He shrugged.

“If it works,” he replied. 

“I’d like to be bribed, too,” Luke said.

“Only if you behave, too,” Daisy said. “If I hear one peep from Papa, though.”

She trailed off with a meaningful look at Luke.

“Yes, Mom.”

* * *

At the store, Anna and Jess stuck close to one another while Deke pushed the cart around the clothes section first, then the home décor. 

“You can get anything you want,” Daisy said, offering a sweater that looked similar to the one Anna was wearing, although closer to her size and without the holes around the wrist where she’d worn it away. Anna shook her head at it and Daisy put it back. “Money isn’t really an issue.” 

“People just say that,” Jess said.

“But then they get angry if you pick something too expensive,” Anna finished.

“We’re at Target,” Deke said, “there’s nothing that would be considered too expensive here. Besides, money is meant to be spent.”

Anna looked at him, and then picked up a tie-dye shirt to her right and held it up to herself.

“What about this?” she asked quietly. 

“I love it,” Daisy said with a grin. “Let’s find some jeans to go with it.”

Daisy and Anna wandered away while Jess crossed her arms over her chest.

“What about you?” Deke asked gently.

“I’m fine.”

“Okay, what about this?” He picked up the gaudiest sparkly sweater with a giant realistic cat face on the center. Jess scrunched up her nose at it. “No? Show me what you like instead.”

“It’s, well, I like this,” she said, nodding to the mannequin nearby. It was a simple outfit of jeans and a white t-shirt with a black bomber style jacket. “It’s, it’s nice.”

“Okay, let’s get it then.”

Together, they found items that Jess liked in her size, piling them into the cart. Daisy and Anna came back with an armful of clothes each, dropping them in. 

“Socks, underwear, and bras next?” Daisy asked. Jess and Anna glanced nervously towards Deke.

“I can go somewhere else until you’re done,” Deke said. “I can get you new backpacks or cookies or, literally just be anywhere else.”

“Thanks, Deke,” Daisy said, kissing his cheek as she took the cart from him. “We’ll find you in home décor? Can you get us a new shower curtain liner and a new toilet scrubber?”

“Yeah, I can,” Deke replied, and grabbed his lemonade from the cart to head towards the home goods section of the store. “I’m picking out the tan liner, though.”

“Don’t you dare,” Daisy called. 

He blew her a kiss over his shoulder as he headed away. 

They got lunch together after they’d carried their bags to the car, then stopped at a bookstore to get school supplies and any entertainment they wanted. Anna grabbed a stack of thick poetry books, while Jess gravitated around the science section, running her fingers across the spines. 

“Are you interested in sciences?” Deke asked, leaning against a shelf nearby. 

“Yeah,” Jess replied.

“Any particular subject material in particular?”

She shook her head, but then stopped and touched a nearby spine about molecular biology.

“Remind me to introduce you to Doctor Jemma Simmons.” 

“Who?”

“She’s my, well, that’s complicated. You’ll hear me call her Nana. She’s my family. She’s the smartest person you will ever meet, and she could probably tell you everything you want to know.”

“She could?”

“Mmmhm,” he said. 

“Okay. Can I get this anyway?”

“Of course, I’ll buy you the whole shelf of molecular biology books if you want.”

“Just this one for now.”

She took it from the shelf and hugged it to her chest, and then looked at Deke before she took the one next to it with a small smile. It was a start.

* * *

The girls kept to themselves for the first few weeks even while at school according to their teachers, which was frustrating to Luke and Delilah who were anxious to get to know them and play with them. 

“You have to give them time,” Daniel said again. 

Luke, impatient, poked at Anna one morning before school.

“Do you miss your house?”

“No,” Anna said evenly, stirring the bowl of cereal she had barely touched.

“Do you miss your friends?”

Anna looked up at him and said gently, “yeah.”

“How about your family?”

Jess reached out and smacked the spoon out of Luke’s hand. Her hand collided with his and they both hit the bowl of half-eaten cereal in front of Luke, spraying it everywhere. Delilah shrieked as the milk landed in her lap.

“Shut up,” Jess snapped as Luke scooped some Cheerios from the table and threw them at her. She growled at him. “No one asked you!”

“Okay!” Daniel said firmly before it could go any further. “That is unacceptable behavior from the both of you. Luke, don’t antagonize them. We told you to give them time. Jess, you do not hit anyone in this house. Is that understood?”

Deke flicked a Cheerio off his cheek and traded a look with Daisy. 

“Yes,” Jess said. “I’m sorry.”

There was a little bit of panic in her eyes, fresh and wounded. Luke didn’t immediately respond, though, jaw tensed as he glared at Jess.

“Lucas,” Daniel said again, even firmer and more serious. Deke hadn’t seen Daniel’s Angry Dad face in a little while. He didn’t know what to do with the pique of interest in his gut at the serious line of his eyebrows and firmness of his jaw. “Is it understood?”

“I didn’t do –”

“ _ Lucas _ .”

Deke let out a tiny breath, shifting on his chair, and found Daisy’s eyes again. Daisy knew, usually on the same page with him when it came to Daniel, and shrugged at him. Deke quirked his eyebrows at her, and she nodded. They’d be discussing that later; Deke was definitely going to make sure of that. 

“I didn’t do anything!”

“Lucas Philip, you are not listening to me.”

“Papa,” he started to argue.

“You are going to clean up this mess, you and Jess, and you are going to apologize to one another.”

Deke stood up while Daniel and Luke had their standoff, and looked at Delilah, offering his arms. She hopped into him, and he made a face at her wet shirt pressing into his skin. 

“Let’s get you cleaned up, songbird.”

“Okay.”

He carried her upstairs and to her room, trading out her soaked clothes for a new outfit. Luckily, she’d be going to work with him that day and hanging out at the daycare while he was in meetings, her preschool holding parent-teacher conferences for the next two days, so it didn’t matter what she wore. He had her clean her face and pulled her hair up into a braid that was damp at the ends still. 

“I just want them to be my friend,” Delilah said softly.

“I know.”

“They’re kind of mean.”

“They’re not.”

He kissed her on the top of the head. 

“What have we said?”

“Give them time,” Delilah answered.

“Yeah. They’re settling. It can take a while. You know how it took you a while to get used to pre-school? You didn’t like it, but you stuck it out and you got used to it, and now you love it.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s like that. One day at a time, and they’ll start to feel comfortable here, at home, part of the family.”

“Okay.”

“It’ll be okay, Del. Just keep being your sweet songbird self, okay?”

She took a deep breath, nodded, and said, “okay.”

* * *

After dinner that night, Deke heard Anna and Jess arguing in their room, and he couldn’t help himself from lingering outside the door. He was nosy. It had been an asset in the Lighthouse, but was less helpful in this time. It was just seen as a flaw. Most of his traits were like that. 

“You shouldn’t have done that!”

“He was harassing you.”

“He was asking questions, Jess.”

“I know when you don’t feel comfortable, though. I wasn’t going to let him do that to you. We promised that we’d be by each other’s sides no matter what, and that includes this right here. I’m at your side, Anna, no matter what.”

“I know. I just, I don’t want to get sent away. You can’t do these things. I don’t want to go back to Maureen’s.”

“Annabelle,” Jess sighed.

“Jessa,” she replied with the same tone. “I just, it’s nice here. They’re nice.”

“This isn’t forever!”

“It could be.”

“Mom is going to get it together, or, or Maureen will want us back, or –”

Deke heard one of the twins moving in the room and skittered away. 

* * *

“Okay, but can you use that Papa voice on me?” Deke asked, sinking onto Daniel’s lap excitedly. 

“Deke,” he laughed.

“Come on, Dannyboy. Put me in time out.”

“You are ridiculous.”

“Do I need to call you Daddy and misbehave?”

“ _ Deke.” _

_ “ _ Danny. Please.”

“Fine, we’ll try it. I make no promises I’ll be good at this.”

“You’ve got some pent-up Deke-directed frustrations, I’m sure. You just need to harness that and punish me.”

Daniel pulled him close and kissed him quiet.

“Deke, you need to behave,” Daniel said, voice firm. It sent a shiver through Deke. “Be a good boy for me, okay?”

“Oh, yes, sir,” Deke breathed out. 

“Good. Let’s get started.”

* * *

Deke got the call from the school first, the only one available that could go down to the school. He left work for the day, and drove to the middle school in town. Jessa was sitting on a chair outside of the principal’s office, frowning at the world, arms over her chest. There was a little bit of a bruise starting on her cheekbone, and there was a girl directly across from Jessa who had an ice pack pressed into her jaw, glaring at Jess. 

“Jess!” he rushed over to her without stopping at the front secretary’s desk. “Are you okay?”

“I told them not to call you,” Jess grumbled.

“Well, they did. Are you  _ okay _ ?”

“Yeah.”

Deke reached out and held her jaw, inspecting the bruise. He’d had his share of fights over his life, his fair share of bruises. It would blossom into something deeper. He stroked his thumb over her cheek gently. 

“What happened?”

“She called Anna a gutter rat,” she said quietly. 

“Well, that’s not nice.”

“She said that we’re freaks, and we were brought into a freak family.”

“We are a freak family,” Deke agreed , “but the best families are.”

Jess frowned. 

“Are you Jess’s guardian?” the principal asked, stepping out of her office. She was wearing a well-fitted pant suit, her hair pulled up in a sleek, black ponytail that hung straight down her back. 

“I’m her foster father, Deke Shaw.”

“Deke,” she said. “Right.”

He didn’t like the way she said that, like he was in trouble for having a name she didn’t like. If she had a real problem, he could call up his teenage mom in Scotland and they could talk about her choices. That would go over well.

“Can you tell me what this is about?”

“Come inside. You as well, Jessa.”

Deke followed her inside, and Jess followed him. They sat side by side in chairs across from the principal. There was a plaque on the desk, reading PRINCIPAL ALICE GARDENS. Principal Gardens sat behind her desk with a relatively thin file in front of her, which Deke could see had Jessa’s name on the front. 

“This is not a good impression to start with. Jessa has only been with our school for two months, and we’ve already had a few instances of Jessa being insubordinate.”

Deke looked over at Jess who had her head down. 

“Yes, well, she’s still settling in. She’s had some major life changes recently, as you might know from her file there, and that can be difficult to adjust to right away.”

“Starting a fight with another student is not just difficulty adjusting,” Principal Gardens replied. “We have a no violence policy. If Jess has a problem with a student in the future, she is to see a teacher.”

“I told a teacher,” Jess mumbled.

“What? Don’t mumble, girl,” she snapped.

“Do not speak to her like that,” Deke said firmly back. Jess glanced at him with a small, thankful smile. “She said that she told a teacher.”

“Emily said that Anna looked like a gutter rat, and that she’s a freak from a freak family, and that they’d return us like broken toys to the store as soon as we messed up. She made Anna cry, and I told Miss Stone, and she said it was nothing and to ignore her.”

“Hitting is still not –”

Deke sat forward in his chair, and put his hands in his lap. Years of staying on the Kree’s good side, years of running a company, years of settling arguments between Delilah and Luke, he had a good poker face. 

“My daughters are being bullied by their classmate. Jess spoke to a teacher at this school, who did nothing and was told to ignore it, instead of reprimanding the student in question. Jess wouldn’t have had to stand up for herself and her sister if your staff was doing their jobs correctly.”

He looked at Jess with her bruised face and wide eyes.

“I will speak with Jess about fighting, but I want you to understand that I will not tolerate your lack of care for my child. If I hear anything about her being punished beyond that, I will absolutely sue your entire school district.”

Principal Gardens swallowed audibly, and Deke smiled pleasantly at her.

“I’m going to take my daughter home for the day,” Deke said, “and she will be back at school tomorrow morning, and we will put this entire event behind us. Yes?”

“Yes,” Principal Gardens said. He rose and gestured for Jess to follow.

“Good. Thank you for your time, Principal Gardens. This won’t happen again.”

* * *

“Okay,” Deke said in the car, shifting to look at her before they pulled away. “I appreciate the urge to protect your family. If you’re going to get into a fight, at least don’t start it next time, yeah?”

“That’s all?” Jess asked. “You’re not going yell at me, tell me that I fucked up –” 

Deke held his hand up.

“First of all, don’t let Daisy hear that language, or else I’ll be in trouble. Second of all, you didn’t fuck up. You’re just, you made a mistake, but that’s okay. We all make mistakes. What matters is how you act after, the amendments you make, what you change and the decisions you make from what you learned.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“I know. I don’t want you to worry about this, Jess. We’re not going to send you away or anything, okay? For as long as you need us, you’ve got us.”

“Are you sure?”

Deke looked over at her, and smiled sadly.

“Yeah. I remember what it’s like to feel unsteady.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like Daisy, I’m also an orphan. So, after my parents died, I didn’t know what to do, or what my life would be like. I didn’t know what each day held, if I’d be left behind or forgotten, if someone wanted to hurt me, or worse. I didn’t know anything, just how to survive. It wasn’t until I met Daisy, and then Daniel, that anything changed.”

“Why?”

“They gave me a family.”

It was a little more complicated than that, of course. It was technically Jemma and Fitz who had been his family first, and then Daisy and Daniel had happened after, but it was good enough as an explanation for now. They hadn’t decided if they’d ever tell the kids exactly how they’d met, or where Deke and Daniel were actually from. 

“What about before Luke and Delilah, though? Before your family?”

“No, you misunderstand. Daniel and Daisy  _ are _ my family, long before we got married, or had kids. They’ve been my friends and then I loved them for years before Luke came along. If we never had kids, they would still be my family. Family isn’t blood, family isn’t legal, it’s what you choose.”

Jess frowned and seemed to consider that. Deke let her sit while he drove them home, just the hum of the engine as their soundtrack. 

“Thank you,” Jess said.

“You don’t have to thank me for anything.”

* * *

“Don’t do that again,” Daisy said when she got home and Deke had filled her in on the day’s events, before she inspected Jess’s face. “Did you at least win?”

“Daisy!” Daniel said.

“Oh, shush, boy scout. Did you, though?”

“Yeah,” Jess said with a small smile. “Plus Deke told off the principal for me.”

“Did  _ you  _ win?” Daisy asked.

“Yeah.”

“That’s my boy,” Daisy said with a wink. He winked back, and she smiled.

* * *

One night after dinner a few weeks later,  Anna tapped on the workshop door to get Deke’s attention.

“Hey nudge,” Deke said, setting down the project he was working on. He knew their birthday was coming up, and that Jess, even though she’d deny it vehemently, was afraid of the dark, so he decided to make a nightlight that didn’t seem like a nightlight. In theory, it would cast constellations that matched the night sky outside, or could be programmed to whatever they wanted. “What’s up?”

“I’m heading to bed,” she said softly, pushing her blonde hair behind her ear. “I just want to say goodnight.”

“Oh, well, goodnight.”

“Can I – can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, of course. You can ask me anything.”

“You don’t have parents anymore? Jess told me about how you didn’t have parents growing up, that you’re an orphan.”

“Oh, yeah. I, uhhh, I  lost a lot of people when I was growing up. My mom died when I was nine, and my dad a few years later. I was left to raise myself, basically, when I was your age.”

“And you have this now?” she asked, gesturing to the house around them and towards the sound of Daisy and Daniel laughing in the living room.

“Yeah, I hit the jackpot. I found a family that loves and supports me. I built a company that does good in the world, because no one should go hungry. And I got you guys out of it.”

He nudged her gently.

“Us?”

“Yeah, you and Jess. Being lucky enough to be chosen to take care of you, I’m incredibly grateful for that.”

“Why'd you guys want us?”

“Why wouldn’t we?”

“You didn’t know us,” Anna said, sitting on the stool next to him at the work bench.

“We didn’t, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t deserve a home, a steady place to feel safe.  _ We _ didn’t know each other when we met, and we didn’t really know Luke or Delilah either when we brought them home. But just li k e then, we grew to know you, and we care about you.”

He loved the girls, actually, but Deke didn’t want to scare her off by admitting that yet. 

“You do?”

“Of course. You’re my responsibility, and taking care of you has been a delight. You’re bright, and kind, and the way you treat Luke and Delilah has been so sweet. I couldn’t help myself from caring about you and Jessa.”

“If you can have your own kids, why did you want us?”

“Well, I can’t have kids. Delilah and Luke are Daniel’s biological children, but I’m still their dad. It can be like that for you, too, if you want. Blood doesn’t make family ; the choice to stick around and love each other does.”

“Yeah?” she asked.

“Yeah, so if you want, you can be our family, and we can be yours.”

She nodded.

“Thank you for answering my questions.”

“Oh, you’re welcome, nudge.”

She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Then, she left. He touched his cheek with a smile.

He set back to work and completed about half of the work before joining Daisy and Daniel in their room.

“You seem extra happy tonight,” Daisy said, watching Deke dance around the bedroom.

“I am,” he said. “Anna was curious about my family, and why we wanted to adapt, and she kissed me on the cheek goodnight.”

“What did you tell her about your past and family?” Daniel asked.

“The outline version. Parents died, didn’t have anyone until I found Nana and Bobo.”

Daniel, born in the opposite direction from Deke, nodded but his lips turned down. His past was easier to  explain, just moving it forward in the timeline. Deke didn’t even grow up on Earth, so that was a little harder to weave into acceptability without blurring it beyond recognition sometimes.

“Danny, don’t look so sad,” Deke said, climbing into Daniel’s lap on the bed. Daniel’s hands always landed on his hips to secure him there. He was slenderer than Daniel, a childhood and most of his adulthood spent starving, so Daniel’s hands dwarfed Deke’s hips in a way that made Deke feel secure in his arms. Anyone else might feel suffocating, but not him, not like this. 

“I can’t imagine how hard it must be not to have that history, your entire past won’t ever exist, and – you ,  _ you _ won’t –” Daniel trailed off, frowning deeper.

“I exist,” Deke said, seeing where this was going. “I had a life in the Lighthouse, a horrible, miserable life, that no one will have to experience. I’m glad that that won’t happen, and that my parents won’t die, even if that means I won’t be born. But I’m not going anywhere. I exist now.”

He brought one of Daniel’s hands up to his chest and rested it over his heart so he could feel his heartbeat, steady and strong.

“Hey, maybe your mom will meet Owen Shaw somehow and have a little baby Deke,” Daisy said, stepping behind him to kiss his neck. He did love a Daisy-Daniel sandwich like this.

“Maybe.”

“If anyone could exist despite the odds, it’s you, Deke,” Daniel said. 

“See, no reason to be sad. I miss my friends, and I miss my parents. I won’t ever get to see them, but that world I came from, I’d never go back. I’m happy here. We have a good life. I’m happily married to two gorgeous, loving spouses, and I have four beautiful kids, and a successful company. Just like I told Anna, I hit the jackpot when you found me and chose me. And I get luckier every day.”

“I can guarantee you’ll get lucky tonight,” Daisy said, 

Deke hadn’t heard the phrase before, and clearly neither had Daniel based on the furrowed eyebrows, but Deke could tell based on Daisy’s tone, it meant sex. Most phrases ended up meaning sex, actually. A surprising amount.

“She means sex,” Deke stage-whispered to Daniel who pinched Deke’s side playfully. Deke couldn’t help his giggle as Daniel lifted him up and swooped him around onto his back on the mattress, following him down to kiss him. Deke was delighted, and let his spouses love him and loved them back. 

* * *

In the morning, Deke let the girls sleep in. It was a Saturday, after all, and while Delilah was awake before the sun, that didn’t mean Anna and Jess had to be. Luke wandered down as breakfast was started, as usual. Daisy had had to go into work in the middle of the night due to some breach and wasn’t home yet, and Daniel still went on runs at dawn, so it was just Deke and the kids in the house. 

“Luke, can you keep an eye on this and make sure nothing catches fire? That’s all. Just shout if something is on fire. Don’t touch the stove,” Deke said, turning the burner down to low so he could run upstairs and wake the girls. 

“I can do that,” Luke said with a little roll of his eyes. 

“Repeat what I asked you to do.”

“I won’t touch it and I will shout if anything is on fire.”

“Good boy,” Deke said, stopping to ruffle his hair, which had gotten thicker and curled at the ends like Daniel’s did when it rained or was humid outside. The older he got, the more Luke looked like Daniel, even while his attitude remained straight from Daisy. 

Upstairs, he tapped on the girls’ door, and called out their names gently enough, but there was no reply. He popped his head inside, and saw in Anna’s bed a person-shaped lump. He assumed that she’d hidden her head under the blankets like usual.

“Hey nudge, it’s time to wake up,” he said a little stronger, but the lump didn’t move. “I’ve got French toast and fresh whipped cream for breakfast today.”

But there was no reply.

He looked in, and saw a very similar person-shaped lump in Jess’s bed, and Deke paused. Jess didn’t usually sleep with her head under the covers, or on her side. He flicked on the light, and Anna didn’t groan. 

His pulse quickened as he pushed into the room and went to Anna’s bed first, pulling back the covers. In Anna’s place, there was a series of pillows and balled up blankets.

“No,” he mumbled. “No, no.”

He turned and pulled the covers back on Jess’s bed, finding only pillows and blankets.

“No.” 

Next, he checked the closet, and then the bathroom, and all of the rooms upstairs to make sure this wasn’t some practical joke, but they weren’t anywhere to be found. He rushed downstairs and grabbed his phone from the kitchen counter, trying to remain calm but failing miserably. He found Daniel’s number first and called him.

“Deke?” he answered, a little out of breath. “Everything okay?”

“The girls aren’t here,” Deke whimpered out. 

“What? What was that?”

“Anna and Jess, they’re not in their beds. They’re not here. I can’t find them.”

“Okay, okay, take a deep breath,” Daniel said, but even the sound of his voice couldn’t calm Deke. His girls were missing, they’d run away, or been taken, or – he didn’t want to think about where they could be, but his mind went there automatically. They could be hurt, or lost. Someone could be hurting them. “ _ Deke! _ Breathe. You can’t help them passed out.”

Deke took a sharp breath in and nodded even though Daniel couldn’t see him.

“What do we do?”

“I’m on my way home. Call Daisy, and double check the house. I’ll call the police.”

“The police?” Deke asked.

“Yeah, that’s what you do when there’s missing children, baby,” Daniel said gently. “They can help us find them.”

Deke let out a sound that he couldn’t help.

“I know,” Daniel said. “I know, baby. I’ll be home soon. We’ll find them. We’ll bring them home, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Deke reluctantly hung up and dialed Daisy next. 

“I can’t really talk right now,” she answered.

“Daise,” he said, and his voice broke.

“Deke? What’s wrong?” 

“Anna and Jess weren’t in their beds this morning. They’re gone.”

“ _ What _ ?”

“I know your job needs –” 

“I'm on my way,” she said. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Did you let Daniel know?”

“Yeah, he’s headed home from his run now. He’s calling the police.”

“Okay, that’s good. That’s good. Are you okay?”

“No,” he replied honestly. “How did I not know? Why didn’t I –”

“Hey, this isn’t on you, Deke. It’s not. I promise. Take a breath, lemons.”

“Okay,” he said, and forced himself to breath evenly. “Okay.”

“I’m on my way. Are Luke and Delilah okay?”

“Yeah, Luke’s watching breakfast, and Delilah is dancing in the living room.”

“Okay. Good. Good. Keep breathing, okay? I’ll be home soon.”

“Okay.”

She hung up and he slowly set his phone down on the counter, his hands trembling. 

“Daddy?” Luke asked quietly, and Deke looked up to see him next to him. “Are you okay?”

“I’m worried, bud. Anna and Jess aren’t home, and we don’t know where they are. Papa and Mommy are on their way home, and we’re going to find them. I’m just a little scared, that’s all.”

“Me too,” Luke said, and he hugged Deke tight. Deke hugged him back, and kissed the top of his head. 

Deke wanted to go out and start scouring every inch of the globe for them. He wanted to contact their aunt who they’d been living with before, or hunt down their mother, something. But he had to stay here, he had to watch Delilah and Luke because they needed him, too. He just hated this feeling of helplessness. He hated the idea that they were out there somewhere, and he couldn’t help them. Literally anything could be happening at that moment, and he wasn’t there with them. Delilah and Luke couldn’t be left alone, but neither should Jess and Anna. 

Daniel got home first, sweating like he’d sprinted home. 

“The police are on their way,” Daniel said, dropping down to hug Delilah at the table where Deke had set her breakfast and she’d been drawn to it. He kissed her forehead, and then circled to Luke to do the same. Deke’s food sat untouched in front of him; he didn’t have much of an appetite. Daniel came to Deke’s side and kissed him, resting his forehead against his own. “You’re okay.”

“They might not be,” Deke said, voice barely a whisper. 

“Don’t think like that, Deke. We’ll bring them home safe.”

Deke nodded.

“Yeah. Yeah. Okay.”

Daniel stroked the back of his neck, before the doorbell rang, and he moved to answer it. It passed in a blur. The police asked when the last time they’d seen the girls was; Deke had said goodnight to Anna last, but Jess had disappeared up into their room long before. She did that often, but she was settling in and they had expected a little bit of distance still. Daisy came home in a flurry, sweeping the kids into her arms and kissed each one of them on the forehead. 

“Hello muffins,” she said gently. 

Deke gave the police recent photos of the twins, as well as the numbers they’d been provided for their aunt in case of emergency, and their case worker, Nancy. They were asked if the girls were happy there, if they had any behavioral problems, if they had any contact with other relatives, or had been using the internet. 

“I’m a cyber security professional. I don’t let my eleven-year-olds use the internet without restrictions and supervision,” Daisy snapped.

“ Ma’am, this isn’t a judgement. We just need to know who we’re looking for ,” one of the officers said gently. Deke  touched Daisy’s hand and she slid their fingers together.  He hoped his touch settled her nerves the way hers did for him , and if they didn’t, at least she knew he was there with her, for her. 

“ No, they don’t have an online presence,” she said.  Deke wanted her at the computer in that moment, using SHIELD's systems and resources to  search the area for them. 

He needed to tell Nana and Bobo. Maybe they had an idea of what to do.  They were the more experienced parents, although he was sure that Alya had never run away or been abducted. God, he couldn’t think about who might want to take them. That thought sped up his breathing, quickened the hammering of his heart. Daniel, who hadn’t been able to sit since he got home, rubbed his hand across Deke’s shoulders.

One of the officers looked from Deke’s hand in Daisy’s to Daniel’s hand on Deke’s shoulder and  seemed to be trying to connect dots there.

“ We’re going to take a look around the house to gather any evidence. If you think of anything else, please don’t hesitate to share. Anything can help.”

Daniel showed the police up to the girls’ room , and Deke clung to Daisy.

“I’m sorry I’m not, not better about this,” Deke managed. He could hear the officers’ footsteps up the stairs and the kids talking in the living room where Luke was trying to distract Delilah with a game of make believe. “I just keep thinking about when I was a kid, and people who went missing didn’t come back, and –”

“I don’t need you to be perfectly put together, you know. That’s what we have Daniel for. He’s the soldier and the spy and the leader. He’s got this. I need you to be here until we get them back, and be there after. You’re a good man, and  an even better father, and  I couldn’t ask for anyone better at our sides right now.”

She stood up and rounded the table to shelter him against her, his ear pressed into her chest as she stroked his hair.

“We’re okay,” she said. 

Satisfied with the evidence that they found, the police ruled that it was most likely that the girls had runaway, given that their backpacks were gone and they had staged the room to fool anyone who might check in on them in the night. They couldn’t entirely rule out any danger from outside participants, but given that they were foster kids, the police suspected they had probably run away to their aunt’s house. 

“We’ll file the report and put out the alert to keep an eye out for them, and we’ll have uniformed officers running sweeps throughout the neighborhood and town. You should stay here and let us handle the search, and in case they come home, you’re here for them.”

Then, they took their notepads and paperwork, and left.

This clearly wasn’t sitting well with any of them, being told to sit and wait and pray. So, Daisy called Mack once the police had taken a single step off the porch, and Deke had Jemma’s phone dialed at the same time. He could hear Daisy asking for permission to login and search for the girls just as Jemma picked up. 

“Well, good afternoon, Deke,” she said cheerily. 

“Nana,” he said, and he cursed his voice breaking.

“Deke, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

“The twins, Anna and Jess, they’re missing, and I – I don’t know what to do, Nana.”

He fell into a chair nearby gracelessly. The police wanted them to just stay at home, just in case the girls came back to the house, but sitting still, waiting while someone else, someone  _ he didn’t know _ , found his girls was driving his crazy. 

“Oh, love, are you okay?”

“I don’t know. I’m so worried.”

“I know. I know you are. Have you called the police?”

“Yeah, they’ve been and are filing a missing persons’ report for them. They want us to stay in the house, but I can’t just sit here.”

“That must be hard.”

His nana’s sweet, caring voice reminded him of his mom when he’d have nightmares as a kid, and she was the only thing that could calm him down. 

“Luke and Delilah are scared, and Daniel’s trying to keep them calm, and Daisy’s on the phone with Mack to use SHIELD’s systems, and I’m just – I feel useless.”

“You’re not useless,” she said softly.

“I want them home with me. I don’t like this.”

“I know. You’re strong, though, and so are they. They’ll come home to you safe and sound, and you can love them and take care of them. If anything happens, they’ll have you to catch them and remind them they have a family who cares about them.”

“What if they don’t?”

“Don’t what, love?”

“Come home,” he clarified, and a tiny sob broke out of him.

“Oh, Deke, I wish I had some answers for you. I wish I knew what was going to happen, and could tell you everything’s alright.”

He heard Fitz in the background, asking what was going on, and Jemma leaned away from the phone to answer.

“The twins are missing,” she said quietly.

“Do they need help? I could use SHIELD’s satellites,” Fitz replied.

“Daisy’s handling that, I think,” Jemma said, and Deke nearly laughed at Fitz’s quiet grumble about helping her anyway.

“Thank Bobo for me, I appreciate it.”

“He knows,” Nana said gently. “Take a deep breath, Deke. You have the world’s best team on your side.”

“I know.”

“I love you, Deke.”

“I love you, too, Nana.”

“The baby’s waking up so I have to go, but don’t hesitate to call if you need anything, okay?”

“Thanks, Jemma. I appreciate everything you’ve done for us, for  _ me _ .”

“Everything will be okay,” she replied. “Be good. Call me later.”

“I will.”

Daisy poked her head out of the office where her computer was set up.

“Thanks for telling Fitz. He and I are working together now.”

“Yeah,” Deke said.

“Deep breaths, Deke.”

“Deep breaths,” he agreed, but he probably wouldn’t take a deep breath until he saw the girls again. He wasn’t sure how he could. 

Daisy tucked herself away with Fitz in the office again, and Daniel curled up with Luke and Delilah on the couch, telling them sweet stories. Deke couldn’t sit there, though. He grabbed his keys and phone, and kissed Daniel on the way to his car.

“I’m going for a drive, and just pray I find them. Call me if anything happens.”

“They said to stay home,” Daniel said.

“I know, but I – I can’t. I’m going to drive myself insane sitting here waiting. And you’re here in case they come home.”

“Please be safe, then.”

“You too.”

Deke kissed both Luke and Delilah on the forehead before he left. He climbed into the car, and just drove around. First, he took careful paths through their neighborhood, then farther and farther outside of it. He gripped the wheel until his knuckles were white, and he left the radio off, not wanting to sing along to it for once. He didn’t know where he was going, just that he had to do something. He saw streets in their town that he’d never seen, neighborhoods and shops he’d never been in, kids playing in the bright, cold winter sun. There were girls out with the twins’ build, their hair color, but none of them were his.

Had he scared Anna away by offering the space in their family? He hadn’t meant to. She'd been curious and he had been talkative his entire life, wheedling his way in and out of trouble. He was smart, and knew it, so it saved his skin but sometimes, more often than not, was also the cause of the trouble in the first place. 

At some point, he pulled into the parking lot of a supermarket, and stared out the windshield, praying for some kind of answer. He didn’t believe in any higher power, but he would if it meant his daughters came home.

* * *

His phone rang while he was driving around the shopping center downtown, an unknown number appearing on his caller id, and he answered immediately, “hello?”

“D addy ?” one of the twins’ voices came through. It was the first time either had ever called him that, and he nearly melted all at once for her.

“Yeah, it’s me , baby . I’m here. Which – who is this?”

“It’s Anna,” she said, her voice quiet and timid. “I’m scared.”

“Where are you?”

“I don’t – a motel, I think.”

“A motel. Okay. Good start. Do you want me to come get you?”

“Yes, please,” she said, and there was a sniffle, and a whimper. 

“Can you tell me what motel? Or where?”

“It’s, hold on, there’s a pizza place menu right here. It’s near Crusty’s, apparently. It’s called Lone Star?”

“Okay, I know where that is. I do. I’m on my way, do you want to stay on the phone with me?”

“I can’t. I’m using the room phone while Mom is out and Jess is in the bathroom.”

“Your mom is there?”

“She contacted Jess, and I didn’t want to meet up or go with her, but Jess said I had to. Blood is important.”

“No, it’s not, but that’s okay. I’m on my way. Give me ten minutes, okay? Do you want me to honk or something when I get there?”

“Just once, a short one.”

He honked his horn once, a short beep, and asked, “just like that?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s perfect,” she said. “Please hurry. I don’t want to be here. Mom was using again, and I haven’t eaten, and I just want to go home.”

He started to say something, but he heard Jess's voice and the line disconnected. It wasn’t a far drive to the Lone Star Motel, which was a seedy cash-only motel of ill-repute and the fact that his daughters were staying there made him itchy all over.

He should call  Daniel and Daisy, or the police, but he didn’t want to wait for anyone. He wanted  Anna and Jess safe.

At the motel, he parked in the middle of the motel's length and gave a short blow of the horn to let her know.  He saw the curtain in one of the windows nearby  move and then the door opened. Anna came out without shoes, her dirty blonde hair pulled up away from her face. He climbed out of the car and  met her in the parking lot where she leapt into his arms for a hug. He wrapped her up in his arms and  held her against him . She was crying, tears dripping down her cheeks,  lower lip  and legs  wobbling . He scooped her up and wrapped her legs around his waist, and she  whimpered into his neck.

“I didn’t want to go. I want to be in the family. Jess said we had to.”

“You are our family, Anna, you have been since you came home to us. You’re okay, baby.”

“Anna!” Jess called, and Deke raised his head , locking eyes with her with a firm gaze .  He waved her  over , and she trudged  across the  parking lot, head hanging.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Mom called,” Jess said , kicking the dirt at their feet . “I thought she’d changed.”

“ It’s okay,” Deke said, reaching out and touching Jess's cheek. “I know that must be confusing.”

Deke hadn’t let go of Anna, and she hadn’t let go of him. There was still a tremble to her body , and Deke didn’t want to ever let her go.

“ Let’s get you in the car so I can call the police.”

“What? Why?” Jess asked.

“Because I woke up and you weren’t in your beds, so we did what you do when there are children missing.”

“Am I in trouble? The police won’t take me away, right?”

“No, bub, the police aren’t going to take you anywhere. I just need to let them know you’re safe, and to call off the search.”

“You were searching for us?”

“Of course, I did,” he said. “I was going out of my mind with worry. I didn’t know if you’d been hurt or needed my help. It’s my job to take care of you both, and I take that job seriously.”

He set Anna down finally and kissed her forehead before opening the back door of the car. Anna climbed in first and settled in, taking the hoodie in the front seat to wrap around her. It was Daniel’s and dwarfed her, but it was the cutest thing he’d ever seen. He looked over at Jess.

“You coming home?”

“If I don’t call you Dad, will you change your mind and send me away?”

“Jess, you never have to call me anything you don’t want to. You can call me Deke, or Dad, or Mr. Shaw, I don’t care, whatever makes you comfortable.”

“Why would I call you Mr. Shaw?” she asked.

“Because that’s my name.”

“Your name is Deke Johnson,” Jess said. 

“It’s not, but I’ll take Mr. Johnson, too.”

“You’re weird.”

“You’re not the first to tell me that,” he replied. “Are we getting in?”

“Yeah.”

She climbed in and he shut the door, his heart rate leveling out now that they were safe. In the car, he called the police at the number on their card, and explained that the girls were safe, and to cancel the alert. 

“Thank you for your help,” Deke said politely before he hung up. He checked on the girls in the rearview mirror. Anna had Jess against her, the hoodie swaddled around both of them. “Did you guys bring anything with you that you need to grab?”

“We brought our backpacks,” Anna said softly. “But just with clothes, nothing important.”

“Well,” Jess said, “I brought Baba.”

“Baba,” Anna groaned.

“What? I wasn’t going to leave Baba behind!”

“What is  a  Baba?” Deke asked.

“A stuffed sheep she’s had since we were babies,” Anna replied. “She can’t sleep without it.”

“Okay. We’ll go get it, then. Did you bring the key with you?”

Jess held up a keycard. 

“Okay. Anna, stay in the car. Jess and I will go in real quick and grab at least Baba, and then we’ll get on the road, okay? Head home, get some cocoa?”

“Yeah,” Anna said. “Are you okay with that, Jay?”

“Let’s go grab him,” Jess said to Deke. They climbed out and headed for the room. Deke let them in and startled at the absolutely disaster that he found inside. Not only that, it smelled foul. He pushed his finger under his nose to try and block out the stench. Jess looked over at him. “Mom threw up in the bathtub this morning before she went out. You get used to it.”

“God, I want to hug you so hard right now.”

“Oh,” Jess said, looking u from where she was rooting around on the other side of the bed. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You thought your mom had turned it around and was going to be there for you the way she should be, and then you’re disappointed that she’s not those things. That’s got to hurt, and like I saw, I take my job of taking care of you very seriously.”

“Can I,” she said and shook her head.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s silly.”

“You can tell me, I won’t judge.”

“It’s just – I don’t – okay. Can I have a hug then?” 

She popped up with a bag, Baba hanging off one arm, and circled the bed back to him. He held out his arms and she sank into his arms. They stood like that for a moment, Deke tucking his face into the top of her head.

“Thank you, Deke,” she muttered. 

The door opened, and Deke looked over, expecting Anna, but finding a thin, blonde woman in the doorway. 

“Mom!”

“Who is this? Where is Anna?”

“This is Deke. He’s my, my foster dad. He’s been watching me and Anna.”

“Is he?” 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Deke said, releasing Jess and taking the extra bag he knew was Anna’s so she could hold tighter to Baba. “I was just taking the girls home.”

“They are home,” she said.

“They’re not,” he said evenly. “They are legally my foster children. They are legally in my care. Their home in the eyes of the law is my house until the state deems you fit to raise them or me unfit, and that’s not going to happen anytime soon just based on this room alone.”

He gestured to the room around them.

“You are welcome to visit them, but I would appreciate next time if you did so through the proper channels so I can make sure that they are being looked after.”

“They are  _ my  _ children.”

“Then act like it,” he snapped. 

“Don’t you speak to me like that!”

Their mother stepped into the room and Deke edged himself and Jess around so as she moved into the room, they were moving towards the door. 

“If you come near them again without the express permission of myself or their other foster parents, I will not hesitate to call the cops on you and revoke your right to see them.”

“I am their mother. You can’t bar me from seeing them.”

Deke had them at the door and looked at Jess, nodding outside. She nodded back, looking one last time at her mom before slipping outside.

“I will say this one more time, because I care about the girls, and I want you to be in their life. I don’t want to keep you from them, nor them from you. I want their mother to see them, and take them out for ice cream, and buy them presents. I want their mother in their lives, because they are wonderful girls and deserve every bit of love after the life they’ve had. But I only want you in their life if you’re going to care for them correctly. Anna hasn’t eaten since dinner last night. Jess is shaking like a goddamn leaf.  I know you love them, but taking them from their safe environment, not feeding them, getting so high you throw up, and leave them alone for hours is not how you love someone. Get your shit together, and we’ll talk about  you visiting, but until then, I will not have this happen again. Do you understand me?”

There was a little bit of Lighthouse still in him, and there always would be, but he wasn’t afraid of it anymore. He  could use it as he needed, and then tuck it away. 

Their mother stepped back away from him.

“ Thank you,” he said, and then he turned and left. 

* * *

Back at the house, it was an explosion of tears, and explanations, and hugs, and kisses. Deke kissed the girls lightly on the forehead before letting them inside. It was chaos, but it was their chaos, this family of mismatched pieces. Daisy, an orphaned Inhuman who had saved the world so many times and sacrificed so much. Daniel, a spy from the past, taken from his time to save his life, who ended up loving them and staying with them by choice. Their children, sweet and unique in their own way. The girls, battered and bruised by their past but still full of love and hope. Deke, an orphaned fuck up from the future who had no home to go back to, no home except this one they’d built together. 

That night, they ordered pizza, and watched The Breakfast Club (and Deke  sent a thanks up to Trevor for the path he’d unknowingly put him on), and Anna tucked herself under Deke’s arm while Jess dozed against Daisy. Daniel had a lapful of Delilah who had fallen asleep immediately after dessert from the sugar crash, and was snoring lightly against him. Luke was in the middle of a puzzle on the table, but was clearly fighting sleep, his head lolling slowly. It was a soft, solid moment. 

“We should get a dog,” he said, and Anna looked up at him. Daisy narrowed her eyes at him in the same instant.

“Don’t start this again, Deke,” Daniel said.

“I want a dog,” Anna said sleepily. 

“See, Anna wants a dog, too,” Deke replied.

“We’ll discuss it,” Daisy said evenly.

“I’ve never had a dog,” he continued. “You know, with my  _ history.” _

She rolled her eyes, because he had probably overused the tragic backstory of not having a tangible history anymore, but it had won him so many arguments, it was hard to let go of. 

“We’ll discuss it,” she repeated. Deke looked at Anna with a wink and Anna giggled. It was such a sweet sound.

“Hey, considering how much you like rescues,” Deke said, gesturing to himself and then to Daniel, “and strays, maybe a dog will just fall into our lap.” 

“I wouldn’t say either one of you fell into my lap. You were a pain in the ass, and Daniel needed to be pulled out of a pool to keep from drowning.”

“Well, we look for the dog with the most tragic past, and we saved its life. That’s what we do best, right?”

She looked at him and laughed.

“We’ll discuss it.”

He looked at Anna again and said, “that means yes.”

She smiled at him like they had a secret to share, and content with how his life had turned out, he kissed her on the top of the head, and smiled back. It didn’t matter how long they had or if the girls would be leaving the next day; what mattered was that while the girls were with them, they felt like they were home. If he could do that, that would be his goal for the rest of their life. 

**Author's Note:**

> So, this one turned into a bit of a monster. It's literally longer than the rest of the series _combined_ but you know what, worth it! Hope you guys enjoyed!
> 
> -k


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